We have closed down our old Local Offer website. The Local Offer will now have its own section on the Council's main website. This was done following a survey of parents, professionals and young people in early 2024.
Survey findings
Awareness and usage
The survey found that, out of 520 respondents:
- 83% had never visited the Local Offer site
- 60% had never heard of the Local Offer site
One respondent commented that we should:
- Make it easier to find it on Harrow website. Make it easier to speak to someone about the local offer. Many parents are not aware about the local offer
By including the Local Offer with our main website, we hope to increase awareness. The Local Offer will now be visible to all residents, alongside other content, such as Schools, Leisure and Social Care.
Usability and navigation
56% of respondents said they mainly use their smartphone for accessing websites. The old Local Offer site was designed during a time when the majority of users accessed websites through desktops and laptops. Harrow's main website was designed with mobile usage in mind. The Local Offer pages now benefit from the mobile-friendly design.
Some respondents commented that should be easier to find information:
- Make the local offer more user friendly. I want to know what's available to me not to figure out what I need to be looking for.
- Structure of the information and the headings things are found under
There are now more ways to find what you are looking for. All pages are linked to from the main Local Offer homepage. There are also separate pages tailored for Parents, Professionals and Young People. There is also a search bar on the top of each page. If there is anything you cannot find, let us know using the Feedback form.
What happens next?
Our work to improve our Local Offer is not finished. There were some suggestions from respondents that we are still working on, such as making online application forms for enquiries.
We will continue to make changes to improve things, but we will need your help to do so. You can use the form below to tell us if:
- information is incorrect or out of date
- information is missing, or if there is something that should be added
- information is difficult to understand
- you cannot find what you are looking for
- a link is broken
- you have any other suggestions
- you want to take part in future user research to improve the site
Leave feedback and register for user research
You can also use the feedback buttons on the right-hand side and at the bottom of each page.